Tyre maker Michelin is reorganising its business in France, Italy and Spain, however its four UK sites are unaffected.

It will hire about 1,500 people over the next three years and invest £85m at its development centre in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

But its plant at Seclin, in northern France, will close. This and other restructuring will lead to around 495 voluntary redundancies and 598 people being redeployed to different jobs within Michelin.

Rival Continental has already announced the closure of its plant at Clairoix, France, with the loss of 1,120 jobs, while Goodyear Dunlop has laid off 820 workers at its Amiens site.